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What I've Been Reading This Week: Paid Leave Edition


The past week or so has certainly proven to be an eventful time in Washington (the state, not D.C.).  In between news of the passage of a paid leave bill along with the Washington Supreme Court holding no strict liability exists for a missed employee meal break, there has certainly been a lot to talk about.  Given the tenor on both sides of the aisle over paid leave as of late, I think it is appropriate to highlight a few articles on both paid leave and sick leave in able for readers to get a better grasp on where things stand nationwide on the matter.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.



Jessica Smith wrote an article on Wednesday in which she proposed the idea that if employers offered paid leave, they would in turn fill more open positions.  Of course it is not a stretch to think that the better the compensation package that is offered by employers, the more likely it is they will attract candidates to an open position.  However, as some research has shown, female labor participation in the workforce could rise by 6% if access to childcare and paid leave were available.  Critics of paid leave are quick to point out that providing this leave raises the cost of employment and places a financial burden on employers.  Although there is likely no solution here that would make all parties happy, with some states starting to pass paid leave policies of their own, I think we are coming closer and closer to having the support for making national paid leave a reality.



On Tuesday, the Metro Civil Service Commission voted unanimously to provide paid family leave to full time Metro government employees that have spent at least six months with Metro.  Under this approved plan, which went into effect immediately after Tuesday's vote, eligible employees will be offered six weeks of paid leave for those employees who have given birth to a child, adopted a child, or are caring for a seriously ill spouse, parent, or child.  Of note, this plan provides both maternity and paternity leave.


A Closer Look at a CEO's Response to an Employee Using Sick Leave For Mental Health

Earlier this week, I was paging through a couple articles on paid leave and came across this great article from USA Today that discussed an employee's decision to use sick leave for mental health reasons (and how the CEO reacted positively to the decision).  As the article notes, the employee decided to use two days of sick leave for her mental health so she could come back the next week refreshed and at 100%.  Perhaps surprising some readers, the CEO championed the employee for this decision and thanked her for calling attention to the stigma surrounding mental health in the workplace.  While not all employers offer leave for employees dealing with mental health matters (and I am not necessarily suggesting that this should be something that all employers provide, for that matter), I think the CEO's thoughtful acknowledgment of the employee's situation could be a useful tool for all to consider when dealing with a similar situation/employee request.

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